The Good
While DC is aiming to deliver a heavy dose of fun nostalgia with its latest digital experience (BATMAN '66), Marvel is looking to offer an action packed adventure starring none other than Wolverine. Serving as the first thirteen issue series from Marvel's "Infinite Comic" lineup, the publisher does successfully deliver an exciting dose of good looking madness. The plot, though? Well, we'll get to that in "the bad."
First and foremost, this is a really fantastic looking digital comic. The animated and vibrant style is delightfully crisp and clean and does a more than thorough job throwing us into this violent and detailed universe. The new method of scrolling through new elements in every panel does offer plenty of really cool moments. From Wolverine popping his claws to revealing a new character, it's a mostly positive experience and makes the scenes far cinematic and engrossing.
This issue delivers big time on the brawls. It's nothing too over the top or jaw-dropping, but it is a fair amount of fun and delivers a few impactful moments. Sure, Wolverine's sporting that fancy healing factor, but the commendable art makes a sai being thrust into his shoulder or claws across the face particularly visceral.
The Bad
When it comes to the narrative, we're literally thrown right into the middle of all the chaos. Right off the bat, Wolverine is being pursued by Hand Ninjas (who he's been fighting for hours) and is after something (or someone) Victor Creed has. From there, it's just a whole lot of slashing and leaves you on a pretty big cliffhanger (were those ninjas holograms or did I miss the update on them being able to teleport?). I'm certain Jason Aaron and Jason Latour will flesh the plot out in due time, but for now, it's somewhat light and jarring being tossed right into the midst of things.
Also, I can't help but feel as though Wolverine's abilities as a combatant are being majorly downplayed. Sabretooth even remarks a couple dozen Hand Ninjas used to be nothing to Logan, but now they're giving him all kinds of trouble and he needs to elude them. No explanation is given and I'm left wondering why the X-Man isn't up to par.
I can only view my copy on ComiXology panel by panel. Right when I click to read it, it doesn't present the cover and dives right into the first panel. I can't skip via pages or opt to jump to a later scene. You need to go through every little panel change to progress. If you've read BATMAN '66, then you know what I'm talking about because it operates the same way. It's a minor point but I imagine that'll be slightly annoying to some (for example, if you're trying to make a scan for a specific scene or simply want to reread one moment).
The Verdict
What this ultimately boils down to is whether or not this issue is worth $2.99. Despite the solid effort at switching up the reading experience and making it way more cinematic, this is still a relatively quick read. I'd say if you're a huge James Howlett fan or if you're really craving a sharp looking action tale, then yes, shell out the $2.99 and hopefully you'll dig it and find yourself wanting more when all is said and done. For everyone else, I can't recommend it being worth what they're asking for, especially when BATMAN '66 -- a comic which has a similar length and unique reading experience -- is a mere $0.99. I'd love to give this a 3.5/5, but since I can't give half stars, I'll round up because of the really impressive artwork. Seeing as I'm a total sucker for great visuals and action, I'll definitely be reviewing this again next Tuesday.